For RisaG, my very best rye bread from my book "the bread bible."
For those who have the book, please note that there is a mistake on the
recipe on page 326, on the flour mixture chart, the 2 1/4 cups bread flour
weigh 12.3 ounces / 351 grams, and step #2: eliminate the words 'rye
flour.' (Rye flour is used only in the sponge on page 325.)
The recipe is below.
p.s. i don't like adding the powdered "rye flavor" -- there's something
synthetic about it. but to get the real true slightly sour flavor of ny rye
i make the sourdough version on page 451 of "the bread bible". this is what
i made two weeks ago to bring to florida for my father's 90th birthday! he
too misses ny rye so much he wanted it in place of a cake (the sourdough
pumpernickel as well!!!)
www.roselevyberanbaum.com
"Levy's" Real Jewish Rye Bread
Both of my parents were raised in the Bronx, but when I was growing up, we
lived in Manhattan. Whenever my father had an excuse to return to the
Bronx, he never came home without a freshly baked loaf from his favorite
bakery. My favorite was the rye bread, studded with constellations of
caraway seeds. (I always complained when he brought home the seedless
variety, which he would do only when they sold out of the caraway one.) My
grandmother, who lived with us, would serve it to me spread thickly with
unsalted butter, the top paved with rounds of sliced red radishes, lightly
sprinkled with kosher salt, crushed between her thumb and index finger. To
this day it is my favorite way to eat rye bread.
It has taken me years to get my rye bread to taste and feel just right. I
like a wheaty flavor with not so much rye that it becomes bitter, and a
chewy texture which is not so dense it becomes pasty. I love using La
Cloche, a large, unglazed, earthenware platter with a dome-shaped top,
especially for a double recipe as during baking, the bread rises to fill
the dome which gives it a lovely shape, moist texture and very crunchy top.
The bread is still delicious and beautiful when made free-form.
For a 12 inch by 6 inch high bread, double the recipe but you will need to
make it by hand or in a Bosch, Magic Mill, or commercial size mixer as it
is too much dough for the average stand mixer to handle.
Time Schedule
Dough Starter (Sponge): Minimum 1 hours, Maximum 24 hours
Minimum Rising Time: About 3 1/4 hours
Oven Temperature: 450 F., then 400 F.
Baking Time: 45 to 55 minutes
Makes: A 7 3/4 inch by 4 inch high round loaf
1 3/4 pounds / 794 grams
Equipment: La Cloche or a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. A baking
stone or baking sheet.
Dough Starter (Sponge)
all ingredients at room temperature
3/4 cup [about 4 oz / 117 g] bread flour
3/4 cup [3.3 oz / 95 g] rye flour
1/2 tsp [1.6 g] instant yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp [0.6 oz / 18.7 g] sugar
1/2 Tbsp [4.6 g] malt powder
- or -
1/2 Tbsp [10.5 g] barley malt syrup or honey
- or -
1/2 Tbsp [6.2 g] sugar
1 1/2 cup [12.5 oz / 354 g] water, 70 - 90 F
1) Early in the morning or the night ahead make the dough starter (sponge)
In a large bowl (mixer bowl if using a stand mixer), place the bread flour,
rye flour, yeast, sugar, malt, honey, or sugar, and water. Whisk until very
smooth to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The dough will be the
consistency of a thick batter. Scrape down the sides. Set it aside covered
with plastic wrap while making the flour mixture.
Flour Mixture
all ingredients at room temperature
2 1/4 cup [about 12.3 oz / 351 g] bread flour
1/2 + 1/8 tsp [2 g] instant yeast
2 Tbsp [0.5 oz / 14 g] caraway seeds
1/2 Tbsp [0.3 oz / 10.5 g] salt
1/2 Tbsp [0.25 oz / 6.7 g] vegetable oil
2 tsp [about 0.5 oz / about 16 g] cornmeal, for sprinkling
Optional:
unsalted butter
softened fresh radishes, sliced
fleur de sel or kosher salt
2) Combine the ingredients for the flour mixture
In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, yeast, caraway seeds, and
salt. Gently scoop it onto the sponge to cover it completely. Cover it
tightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 1 hour or up to 4
hours at room temperature. (During this time he sponge will bubble through
the flour mixture in places. This is fine.)
3) Mix the dough
Machine Method
Add the oil and with the dough hook mix on low speed (#2 Kitchen Aid) about
1 minute, until the flour is moistened to form a rough dough. Raise the
speed to medium (#4 Kitchen Aid) and mix 10 minutes. The dough should be
very elastic, smooth, and jump back when pressed with a finger tip. Turn
the dough onto a counter and knead in a little extra flour if the dough is
at all sticky. (The dough should weigh about 2 pounds 1.7 ounces / 965
grams.)
Hand Method
Add the oil and with a wooden spoon or one hand, stir until the flour is
moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together and then
scrape it onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes,
enough to develop the gluten structure a little, adding as little of the
reserved flour as possible to keep it from sticking. Use the bench scraper
to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point
it will be a little sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to
rest for 20 minutes. (This resting time will make the dough less sticky and
easier to work with.)
Knead the dough for another 5 to 10 minutes or until it is very smooth and
elastic. If the dough is sticky, add some of the remaining reserved flour
or a little extra. (The dough should weigh 2 pounds 1.7 ounces / 965 grams.)
Both Methods
4) Let the dough rise
Place the dough into a 2 quart dough rising container or bowl, greased
lightly with cooking spray or oil. Press down the dough and lightly spray
or oil the top of the dough. Cover the container with a lid or plastic
wrap. With a piece of tape mark on the side of the container approximately
where double the height would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75 F
to 80 F) until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Using an oiled spatula or dough
scraper, remove the dough to a floured counter and press down on it gently
to form a rectangle. Give it one business letter turn. Again, oil the
surface, cover, mark where double the height will now be and allow it to
rise for and allow to rise a second time about 45 minutes. (It will fill it
fuller than before because it is puffier with air).
5) Shape the dough and let it rise
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and press it down to flatten
it slightly. Shape by rounding the dough into a ball about 5 1/2 inches by
2 1/2 inches high (I) and set it on a cornmeal sprinkled baking sheet or
Cloche bottom. Cover it with a large container or oiled plastic wrap. Let
the dough rise until almost doubled) and when pressed gently with a finger
the depression very slowly fills in, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
It will be about 7 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches high.
6) Preheat the oven
1 hour before baking preheat the oven to 450 F . Have the oven shelf at the
lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it and a cast iron
pan or sheet pan on the floor of the oven before preheating.( If using La
Cloche, preheat the dome along with the oven.)
7) Slash and bake the bread
With a sharp knife or straight edged razor blade, make 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep
slashes in the top of the dough. (I like to make 2 slashes about 6 inches
apart in one direction and a second 2 slashes perpendicular to them.) If
using La Cloche, carefully place the hot Cloche top onto the base and
quickly but gently set it on the hot stone or hot baking sheet.
Alternatively, mist the dough with water, quickly but gently set the baking
sheet on the hot stone or hot baking sheet and toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes
into the pan beneath. Immediately shut the door and bake 15 minutes. Then
lower the temperature to 400 F and continue baking 30 to 40 minutes or
until the bread is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes
out clean. (An instant read thermometer inserted into the center will read
about 190 F.)
If not using La Cloche, halfway through baking, with a heavy pancake turner
lift the bread from the pan and set it directly on the stone so that it is
turned halfway around for even baking.
8) Cool the bread
Remove the bread from the oven, lift it from the pan, and transfer it to a
wire rack to cool completely, top-side up.
Ultimate Full Flavor Variation
For the best flavor development, in step #2 allow the sponge to ferment for
1 hour at room temperature and then refrigerate it for 8 or up to 24 hours.
If using the hand mixing method, remove it from the refrigerator about 1
hour before going on to the next step of mixing the dough.)
Pointers for Success
If using La Cloche, remove it for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. (For
a double recipe larger loaf you will need to bake it 50 to 65 minutes after
lowering the temperature to 400 F.
UNDERSTANDING
I prefer bread flour to unbleached all purpose for this bread because it
results in a chewier texture.
I do not use the autolyse technique (allowing the dough to rest and hydrate
? evenly absorb the water -- before adding the salt) because I want this to
be a relatively stiff dough which results in a dense texture so I'm not
concerned with adding extra flour.
I like to use cornmeal for the bottom of the bread simply out of deference
to tradition.
The Rose Ratio
flour: 100%
bread: 83.1%
rye: 16.9%
water: 62.9%
sugar: 3.3%
yeast: 0.64%
caraway seeds: 2.5%
salt: 1.9%
oil: 1.2%